A Theif's tale
by Squeer
Summary: She's been kidnapped, magicked, and forced to work for a brigand. Together with her new friends in the guild, She's determined to avenge her family. Pairings are questionable at this point.
1. Chapter 1

Hey people! Sorry I haven't updated any of my stories for a long time…I'm truly sorry about that. Anyway, this story is called a thief's tale, and it has received good marks from the people who have read the page long excerpt that I chose. Any way, after dealing with the lawyer repellent, we will get on with the story.

Lawyer Repellent: I do not own anything with a trademark, or patent. And If I get sued, I will attack you with anything with in reach.

And now we move on to story.

Chapter one

A Thief

Sheeba looked out of her bedroom window, there was something out there, there had to be, as her sensitive ears had picked up the sound of something hitting the ground. She left her window, to finish getting ready for bed, and went to the small dressing room that was an extension of her room.

_Tonight is the night that I will steal my way into the guild. _Sessho-Maru thought as he took a running start and leaped over the ten foot wall surrounding the palace, and cleared it without even touching it. He landed in the castle gardens, where he saw an open window, perfect for getting into the palace. He climbed the tree next to the window, and entered the room. At first, the room was empty, but a girl suddenly came out of a small door to the left of him. She looked as if she was about to scream.

Sheeba Came out of the dressing room, wearing a plain silk gown, and was shocked to find a tall boy with dressed in an olive green sleeveless shirt, light brown breeches, and a light brown cloak. He had long silver hair, and some demon marks on his face. One second he was next to the window, the next he was behind her, holding his hand over her mouth.

"Don't scream," he ordered as he removed his hand.

"Who do you think you are!" Sheeba asked hotly.

"I'm Sessho-Maru, and I'm no one to worry about, I'm here for one thing, and one thing only, to steal my way into the guild," he answered.

"Well, since I want you gone, take this ring, and be gone," Sheeba ordered, as she handed him the ring off of her hand. He moved towards the window.

"Thanks," he said as he jumped out the window, he landed on the ground and jumped over the wall

Sessho-Maru landed on the other side of the wall, hitting the ground with out flinching.

"Well, did you get something?" asked a boy who was slightly shorter than Sessho-Maru, but not by much, he had blonde hair, and honey colored eyes. He was dressed in the same outfit a Sessho-Maru, for that was the common clothing of the people, only his shirt was navy blue.

"Well, if you have to know, yes, I did get something," Sessho-Maru said as he tossed the ring to him.

"Hmm…well, judging by the fact that this ring is very expensive, I'd say that you are welcomed into our guild," the boy said.

"Thank you Sasuki," Sessho-Maru said to the other boy.

Sooo…how was it? Did you like it? …I sound hyper don't I? Anyway, that's the end of this chapter, and I'm running out of Sunday, so I need to work on another story, bye!

Squeaker 1


	2. Chapter 2

…Why is this fic so darned unpopular! I decided to write this fic, and then hardly anybody reads it! Okay, now that that's out, here's the disclaimer, and the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.

Chapter 2

Sheeba looked out the window, wondering exactly where that SesshoMaru guy was. He had said he was trying to join the guild, and there were too many guilds to figure it out by his words alone, but then again, he had been stealing to gain membership…Which meant that he was probably where ever the guild was. _I can't stand it anymore! I have to know what country he's supposed to be the heir to!_ Sheeba thought angrily. Turning away from the window, she went to the dressing room, and changed into the clothes she usually wore when she went to shop in the bazaar, which just so happened to be a pink tank top, breeches, and a cloak. Then she went out to the garden. Taking a running start, she jumped over the wall, and landed in the alley on the other side of it with a small stagger. Putting her hood up over her ears, she started walking down towards the slums. _If he's a thief, he should be living in or around the slums, so I'll start there. _

Several Hours Later

"Man it's hot out here," Sheeba sighed, looking around. Looking for hours had proved useless, and now she was determined to find him by any means necessary. "I doubt it would hurt to sit down for a bit," She muttered, spotting a box that she could sit on. The box, being right next to a low, three foot tall wall, made the perfect place to sit in a deserted alley. Sheeba closed her eyes, and ran through how much she actually knew about this SesshoMaru guy. Suddenly, there was a lot of movement around her. When she opened her eyes, there were several people surrounding her. Directly to her front was a blonde haired boy, presumably the leader of the group; to her left was a black haired girl, more than likely the blonde's lover; and to her right was a dark blue haired boy, obviously the thug of the group.

"What a pretty girl, she'll be perfect for the slave market," the blonde said. "Setsura, hurry up and gag her!" Suddenly something went over her mouth, it had a strange smell that made her drowsy. "Sakura, Jason, tie her up we're going back to…" The blonde's voice ordered as Sheeba drifted off into an unconscious state.

Sheeba woke up in a badly lit room, lying on a bed. She half sat up, and looked around. In the corner opposite from the door, there was a black haired guy who was wearing the same things that Sheeba was wearing; only his clothes were pure black. He appeared to be asleep, and the door was shut. _How many people are in this group? Is he the one that Blondie referred to as Setsura?_

" Oh, good, you're awake!" the guy in the corner said.

"Where am I?" Sheeba asked. She looked at his face, and studied it carefully, accidentally making contact with his dark blue eyes in the process.

_:I'm afraid I can't tell you that, I might get killed: _Mr.Black's voice stated in her mind.

_Okay, this is weird, that guy's voice is in my head..._Sheeba thought , feeling very disturbed. "Umm...who are you?" Sheeba inquired hesitantly.

"My name is Setsura," He answered.

Should I tell him my name? I don't know if I can trust him, and I definitely know he's one of the ones who kidnapped me...but...he's a demon...a person of noble blood...just like that SesshoMaru guy...he exudes power...but...why isn't he at home in his country? Hmm...Is it possible that he was disowned?

"So, why were you in this area? Most people don't come down here, unless they live here," he inquired, looking at her with the coldest look she'd seen in her life. " Especially not people who live in the palace."

"Y-you know! But how!" Sheeba stammered, shocked.

:Let's just say that when you can read someone's mind, you can learn a lot about them: His voice explained. :Don't worry, I haven't told anyone...Yet.:

"How did you do that! And what did you mean by 'yet'?" Sheeba cried.

:Hush now, Sasuki might hear you, then you'll be in trouble for sure: he said. :besides, that is very unbecoming of a princess.:

"So, how do you do that? It's getting on my nerves," Sheeba hissed quietly.

:I'm surprised you don't know how to mind speak already, anyone of noble blood can do it: he confessed. :Of course they probably don't teach you how to do this in embroidery class.:

:For your information, I don't embroider, nor do I knit, sew, or crochet in any fashion: Sheeba thought very angrily.:Just because I'm a woman, everyone thinks I do some sort of work involving cloth:

:Well, it's nice to know that if you're angry, you definitely convey a message...Were you trying to tell me that, of did it just happen: he inquired.

"Huh? What? I didn't say anything," she said, unaware of what she had done.

"you mind spoke, I heard what you were thinking," He replied.

"Y-you heard that?" Sheeba stammered, shocked at the thought of him hearing that outburst.

"Yes, I apologize for having false assumptions, though most princesses do embroider," he answered.

"umm...apology accepted...I think," Sheeba stated uncertainly. "so, what's going to happen to me now that I'm that blonde guy's prisoner?"

"He's seriously thinking of selling you as a slave, though he's also considering making you his own slave," he answered as if it were nothing.

I don't like this, especially since I'm a woman...(mental sigh)...I wonder if I could escape...maybe this guy would help me... Sheeba thought.

:I don't know if this means anything, coming from a total stranger and all, but I'm sorry about all of this. There really nothing I can do: He said. :But it's quite possible that you could get Sasuki to let you join the guild, that's the only other option you have.

Suddenly the door opened. In walked a guy with long silver hair, and honey colored eyes. It's him! He's the reason I'm here! If I hadn't been looking for him, I wouldn't have gotten kidnapped! Why I ought to!

"Ouch, that's a strong urge to kill..." Setsura said.

"I did it again, didn't I?" Sheeba inquired, embarrassed.

"I hope you know that it wasn't my fault that they abducted you, you're the one who let you guard down," SesshoMaru said coldly.

"Y-You heard me too?" Sheeba stammered, more out of the shock that he heard her rather than the shock of him knowing what she thought.

"It's not very princess like to kill people, and you probably wouldn't last two minutes in battle with me," SesshoMaru replied.

"Well, it's nice to see you both know each other, I'm not sure I wanna know how you know each other though," Setsura said.

"Have I met you before the last time I saw you, you seem very familiar?" Sheeba inquired, ignoring Setsura.

"Probably not," SesshoMaru answered.

* * *

Ummm...yeah...I feel like ending it here, so...yeah...I'll end it here...Oh, and sorry Tykat, changed it a bit in the final type up, but I hope you still like it, especially when the next chappie rolls around!

Squeaker 1


	3. Chapter 3

Hey peeps! I'm sorry for cutting the last chappie off; I was running out of patience... and would have ruined the mystery behind the great SesshoMaru if I had continued. Heh heh... well, this is chapter 3, and I hope to get more reviews...(hint hint)... well, here goes!

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from InuYasha, they are owned by Rumiko Takahashi!

A recap of last chapter:

"Have I met you before the last time I saw you, you seem very familiar?" Sheeba inquired, ignoring Setsura.

"Probably not," SesshoMaru answered.

Chapter 3

"But you seem familiar!" Sheeba cried, the frustration finally getting to her. "You're a demon! You're nobility! You're supposed to be back in your own country preparing to take what ever role you have to take!"

"Don't you think it's possible that some demons don't have a country to run?" SesshoMaru answered monotonously. Setsura was silent, this was not his argument, besides, he had no idea what this was about, or did he?

"I know I've seen you somewhere before! So, unless you have a twin brother, stop denying that you have a country to run!"

"I have no country," He answered emotionlessly.

That was it! He struck a nerve! "How can you say you haven't got a country! How can you so easily deny that you have a responsibility to your country!" Sheeba shouted.

"I told you, I have no country," SesshoMaru quietly replied. His eyes betrayed his feelings to Sheeba (who was staring straight into them). He was angry, But there was something else mixed in with it, could it possibly have been regret?

"Sheeba, maybe you should let it go, he obviously doesn't want to talk about it," Setsura said suddenly.

"And what about you? You're a demon..." Sheeba said suddenly. "Why are you deserting you noble obligations?"

"My country was destroyed by a one man army... that's all you need to know for now..." Setsura answered, a pained look crossing his face. It seemed to hurt him to think about it, so Sheeba decided to let it go at that.

"When's Sasuki going to come decide what he's going to do to me?"

"He'll come as soon as we report to him," SesshoMaru answered. "Do you want me to go report to him?" The last part was directed at Setsura, who nodded. "I'll be back with Sasuki in a few minutes."

"I'm sorry, but the sooner your fate is decided, the better," Setsura apologized.

"It's ok, I want this done and over with," Sheeba answered. There was silence for several minutes. "Are you sure the only-"

Suddenly the door opened, and in stepped the blonde from before. SesshoMaru, Sakura, and Jason closely followed him. Now that she was standing, Setsura didn't seem quite as tall, in fact, he was only about an inch taller than her. (she's about 5'8") He was Handsome though... Funny how much you notice when your not being kidnapped... His blond hair was short and straight. His blue eyes were almost purple, He was looking straight at her now. "What is your name girl?" He had a soft voice, and despite it's quietness, he immediatly got her attention.

"My name is Sheeba," She answered, staring straight back into his eyes. She could almost get lost in them, and with his looks, it was no wonder he was the leader. This continued for a few minutes.

"You show no fear, aren't you afraid of what I might do to you?" Setsura asked.

"I show no ear because I have no fear," Sheeba answered quietly. "I'm too useful for you to kill."  
"Is that so? If I may, how useful do you really think you are?" Sasuki inquired, coldness filling his voice. "I have everything a man could want, what can you offer me?"

"I have connections in the castle," Sheeba answered, a fierceness entering er voice that was uncommon.

"True, that is useful, But what makes you any different from my spies?"

"I'm a princess."

"Well, doesn't that just make you even more special...But now your worth even more on the slave market." He smiled slightly. This only made him even more irresistible.

"Yes, It does, but do you really want me to go to the slave markets? I can tell you'd rather keep me all to your self, so why not let me join you as one of you thieves?"  
"You're right, I do, but what makes you think I'd let you be one of my thieves?" He asked. "Why shouldn't I make you my own slave?"  
"If you make me one of your thieves, I can help you destroy the government."

"Now why would I want to do that?"

"I can tell."

He shrugged. "I suppose you can be one of us." He drew a dagger. "give me your hand." She hesitantly gave him her hand. He swiftly cut his wrist, and did the same to hers. "With this you become one of us, you are no longer the girl you were, for you are now mine. You're old name is to be forgotten, and your new name is to be Keiko." He pressed his wrist to hers while he said this. It was ancient magic, it was also forbidden magic. Sheeba blacked out.

Ok guys, I'm stopping here. I know you so want to read more, but you'll have to wait until I update again...I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, I decided that this was the best place to stop...:)

Squeaker


	4. Chapter 4

Hello! Long time no see, huh? Well, this is chapter four…and I hope there're actually people here…. Other wise my story is a total waste…my poor story…

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha…and I'm sorry if there's only one character that isn't mine… But I'm the author….

Chapter 4

Sheeba woke up in the same room that she had stayed in the last time she was unconscious. The same person was in the corner again. Setsura was asleep again. Just like the first time. She got up out of the bed and went over to him. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep, and it wasn't the calm-under-pressure peacefulness that was the norm when he was awake, it was the peace-of-mind type.

She left him where he was, and slipped out the door. She was in a narrow hallway, so she followed it. It led into a large room, where Sakura was busy cleaning a dagger; a long sword lay on the ground next to her. "Do you know where SesshoMaru is?"

"He's out back, helping with the garden."

"Thanks," Sheeba looked around, lost. "How do I get to the back?"

"It's right through that door, Sasuki's out there too. Keiko, he's been waiting for you to wake up."

"Well, then, I'll just be going now, see you!" Sheeba walked across the room and went through the door. On the other side of the door was a beautiful flower garden, with rows upon rows of roses, daisies, and even some petunias. Past the flower garden, there was a patch of herbs, you know the usual-mint, thyme, oregano- all herbs that were usually used in aromatherapy, and seasoning food. Even farther past that, there were rows of vegetables-tomatoes (It's a fruit gosh dang it...--), corn, zucchini, peppers- in the middle of which two tall figures stood. Obviously SesshoMaru and Sasuki, judging by the blonde hair of the shorter one, and the silver hair of the taller one.

Not wanting to cause a fuss, Sheeb- er Keiko... heh heh... took her time walking over to them. Reaching them just as Sasuki was turning around to return to the hideout. "Keiko, you're awake, I'm happy to see you," Sasuki said, smiling handsomely. "Most of the others didn't sleep half as long as you did after their ceremony."

"How long was I asleep?"

"2 days."

"Wow," She said. "I bet the palace's in an uproar," She smiled mischievously. "I've never disappeared before."

"Yes, there were some people looking for you, but we managed to convince them that you were not here." He shrugged. "I'm sure you've already met SesshoMaru." He gestured towards the Silver haired demon behind him.

"Yes," She smiled. SesshoMaru was pulling weeds, and doing his best to ignore her. "So, When is Setsura gonna stop falling asleep while keeping watch over me?"

"Well, I think he can stop that now, you seem loyal for someone who's been stripped of her rank."

"I figure I might as well be cooperative. After all, it was only ievitable that something like this would happen to me, so I'll do my best."

"Just what I wanted to hear," He looked over to the door from which Keiko had had previously come through. "I apologize for having to go on such short notice, but I have a meeting with one of my informants, and this particular one will leave if I'm not there before he is," Sasuki apologized. "Fare well," With that he left down the path.

"Bye!" she called after him. He didn't seem very bad for someone who had kidnapped her, threatened to sell her as a slave, and used the forbidden magic on her. Turning back to SesshoMaru, she watched him work. "He doesn't seem so bad."

"He hasn't forced you to do anything, he has yet to destroy your country."

"Well, aside from that, he's pretty likable."

"True, he's a perfectly likable, power craving, one man army," SesshoMaru answered.

"So then he... he's the one who... don't tell me he's the one who destroyed Setsura's country."

"Not literally destroyed it, no, he just liberated it, murdering most of the nobility. Only those of us lucky enough to have brought out the more merciful side of him were allowed to live. So far Setsura, Jason and I are the only ones to have been that lucky. Sakura's a Human, and she's only here because she wants to be. She's never been formally bonded, but she's as loyal as hell to him."

"I hold no grudges, my country was run by cruel nobles, but he did kill my mother, a kind loving woman," a voice regretfully explained behind her. "Nice to see that you are awake." Sheeba turned around quickly, and was face to face with the blue eyed, Dark blue haired form of Jason.

"You're Jason right?" She asked, wanting to make sure.

"Yeah," He looked over her shoulder at SesshoMaru, who was now standing. "SesshoMaru, I'm appalled that you would let someone as beautiful as her get into such a mess."

"I didn't let her do anything, I didn't know she'd come looking for me."

"I'm right here, you know," Keiko interrupted.

"I know," they both said at the same time.

"Jason, you don't normally come near the garden, why are you here now?" SesshoMaru asked, as Jason sneezed. "It's certainly not because you've gotten over your allergies."

"No, Setsura asked me to find you two for him," He turned to Sheeba again. "He's preparing a room for you as we speak. Now if you'll excuse me, I must get out of here before I sneeze much more." He went back the way he had come, and left Sheeba and SesshoMaru alone again.

"I'm surprised that you guys have such a large amount of land," Keiko said suddenly.

"well, we found the place abandoned, and we made it our own," SesshoMaru said. "Now come on, we need to find Setsura."

There we go, we'll end this chapter here... since I have tons of other stories to update...LOL

Squeaker


	5. Chapter 5

Hey peeps! Well, since I'm in no mood for talking I'm going to cut to the chase...

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from InuYasha that may or may not appear in here... LOL

Chapter 5

When they were safely back inside the building, SesshoMaru led her through what seemed like a maze of hall ways before eventually arriving at the end of a very long one. The door was black, and had a small peephole at eye level. SesshoMaru opened the door, it led to a bedroom decorated in black. The bed was huge! Bigger than her bed in the palace, even. The room was a gothic dream; anything in it that wasn't black was red. She had to wonder how they had made such a perfect room. Especially since the Queen made her wear such colorful clothes at home. And why did the country's national color have to be pink? "It's perfect... But how'd you know?"

"Rumors, nothing more," Setsura answered.

"..." Was all Keiko had to say. "One question... what do we do now?"

"Watch and wait."

"Why doesn't he talk very much?" Keiko asked pointing to SesshoMaru.

"I dunno...Why don't you talk very much?" Setsura answered.

"Because I don't talk very much, there's no reason," SesshoMaru answered.

"He's emo!" Keiko exclaimed.

"...of course I am..."

"Ahem!" The now familiar voice of Sasuki said, interrupting their fun. "If you don't mind, I believe you should know that we're going to be intercepting a band of traders in about a week. Setsura, I expect you to train her until then."

"Yes sir," Setsura answered dejectedly.

"SesshoMaru, you're to assist him."

"...Of course," SesshoMaru answered, suppressing a growl.

With that, Sasuki left, leaving them alone in the dark room. There was something wrong about the way he'd been acting. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing, you'll see later," Setsura answered.

Later that night

Sasuki came back to the hideout covered in blood. Sakura met him at the door, and helped him into his room. He'd sustained a minor injury during his outing, but most of the blood that was on him wasn't his. In truth, it was the blood of the royal family.

"So you've finally finished with this country?" Sakura asked, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Yes, they've been eliminated, we can move on," He answered.

"Good," Sakura said. It was always when he was around her that he seemed to change, and become kinder. He changed on nights like this; it was as if he were two people at once. On nights like this, he was more alive, and less numb.

He sat on the bed next to her, and hugged her. "I sometimes feel sorry for them you know."

"I know, so do I," She answered. Ignoring the fact that he was getting her all bloody, she continued. "You really change on nights like this, you know that?"

"I've noticed, I feel like I'm alive when the moon is full, like something that's been controlling me has lost its power," He answered. The light coming through the window was from the full moon, and it illuminated them with its beauty.

"Don't be silly," Sakura said, smiling.

"I'm serious, I know I've done some terrible things, and I can't remember a thing after a while, it's like something that isn't me is controlling me," He said.

"Tell me again, how did you come to be who you are now?" Sakura said, smiling, and kissing him.

"You've heard that a million times though," Sasuki answered with a laugh.

"I know, but I want to hear the tale again," She said.

"ok, I'll tell you." Sasuki said. "One day I woke up, and I had these amazing powers, and I had a knowledge of all kinds of magic, blood magic, healing magic, and fighting magic. I felt compelled by something inside to use my power to overthrow the monarchy, and establish myself as ruler. The first of many monarchies to fall by my hand, and it was the hardest to conquer as well. I decided that it wasn't going to do me any good to conquer all the countries without learning about life in them before hand, so I spent around 10 years in each country before moving on to the next one. And when I conquered your country, you followed me, so you know the rest. "

"Were you just a human before?"

"Yeah, I was a skilled thief if you must know," he said with a small laugh.

"Is that why we masquerade as thieves?" She said, having learned something new about her lover.

"I suppose so, I never really thought about it." He suddenly noticed that he was getting blood on her, and everything else. "I'm gonna go change, I don't want to get blood on anything else." He grinned, got up, and went into a side room.

When he came back, he was wearing only a pair of pants. He was gorgeous, his muscles were defined, but not so buff that it was scary. He was thin and tall, built a lot like SesshoMaru. "Sakura, I don't have much time before I have to resume my role as an uncaring bastard, and I don't think I'll be able to treat you like I would like to around that others. So just know that I do love you," Setsura said, knowing that he would only feel this way next month on the night of the full moon. And the Sun was already beginning to rise. She stood up, and looked at him. He moved over to her, and pulled his into a passionate kiss. His love for her burned brightly in his eyes, and when they separated, he looked into her eyes. "You should go now, the others will wake soon."

So... happy... I love it! And I can't help but love Sasuki, even if he is the bad guy...LOL... well, sorry for the late update, see ya next month!

Squeaker


	6. Chapter 6

Well, I can't say that I've been the best at keeping up with my supposed schedule...heh heh... anyways, I'm working on updating my stories, so be happy about it...LOL

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

If I did, Naraku would have been vanquished once and for all by Sesshoumaru already…LOL

Chapter 6

Sheeba woke that morning to the smell of blood coming from somewhere nearby. Being groggy, she was still trying to figure out exactly where she was. The first and foremost thing that came to her was the word "Keiko." It had no apparent meaning.

A knock at the door jolted her into what you would call a heightened sense of awareness. People didn't simply knock on her door, she was the princess after all. "Keiko! Get the hell up already!"

Keiko glared at the door. There was only one person who could say that. Only one person sounded like THAT. "Sesshoumaru, I'm still half asleep, come back in twelve hours or so," She whined.

"Well, I was going to take you into town, seeing as Sasuki was kind enough to grant us a day to roam the city," he said nonchalantly. Keiko scrabbled to her feet, she was wearing nothing more that her breeches, and a breast band, and the door was…well, uh… it was opened. "Good Morning," Sesshoumaru said, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.

Keiko was shocked. "I forgot to lock the door last night!" She thought. She still hadn't noticed that she wasn't wearing anything but breeches and a breast band, this occurred to her at this moment. "Gack! Get out! I'm not decent!" This received a most baffled look from Sesshoumaru.

"What are you talking about? You're perfectly decent."

Needless to say, he was soon practically lying in a heap outside her door shortly there after. "Princesses, so picky it hurts," He grumbled, dragging himself off the floor, and dusting off his clothing. "It's not like I'm that way or anything," he scowled at the door. Tearing his ga-…I mean scowl away from the door, he leaned against the wall, and waited for Keiko to get her ass ready. "Damn woman!" He cursed under his breath.

Keiko came out a few minutes later, looking like she had just the other day when she'd been abducted. It was a sight to see, she'd put her hair up all pretty like, and she just had to ruin this picture of beauty, but tripping on her way out of her room. She, of course, tripped over thin air, and ended up hugging Sesshoumaru (who had ceased his leaning against the wall when she emerged). "Now who deserves to be left lying in a heap on the floor?" He teased.

"You," she answered. She was still hugging him. This fact of, well, it's not a fact of life, until you end up living with Keiko. Ahem! This fact of life with Keiko only made Sesshoumaru want to leave her dead in a ditch all the more.

"You're still hugging me," he pointed out, scowling at the wall. He didn't have TIME for women, besides, he'd never met one who wasn't easy to anger. Keiko looked up at him, her eyes became watery, and looked big, and she looked on the verge of tears. "What?" She started to cry. "D-Don't cry!" he was unsure of how to deal with this, and his calm composure was forgotten.

"Y-you...you hate me!" She whined.

"I don't hate you, what gave you that idea!?!? Please stop crying!" It's a fact of life, when a woman wants a man to do something, and the man refuses, it requires a lot of sobbing, and high pitched noises.

"So... you'll still take me?"

"I promise I will," he said.

"Really?" This is the last step in the process, the woman askes "really" in a small voice several times.

"Really," he answered.

"Really, really?" This was bordering on using her powers of high pitched sobbing from earlier for evil.

"Really, really," Apparently he was willing to save his ears by taking her out.

"Really, really, really?" She crossed the border into evil from mischief.

"that's enough, I'm going to take you out, so cheer up," he said, unknowingly setting himself up.

"Yeay! Sesshy's taking me on a DATE!" Keiko exclaimed, hugging him. Her grief had completely disappeared.

"Yeah, whatever, let's go," he said, deciding against telling her to get off of him.

About an hour later, they were sitting on a wall near the edge or town, snacking on a foreign food, apple turnovers. They had cost a lot, but Sesshoumaru didn't' exactly mind paying for them, Keiko was well enough company, to be sure.

In front of them, stretching farther than even their eyes could see, was a field of red poppies. Oddly enough, they could get poppies to grow like wild fire, but the apple trees wouldn't produce fruit, even if they lived. Leona was a strange place.

The main religion of the people was the religion of Chessian, in which the believers worshipped Chessian, a total whack-job of a god. Among the many things that were, as they say, "abominations unto Chessian," were the colors yellow and blue, beets, fish, and, most disturbingly of all, canoodling with animals. (Who DOES that anyway?)

Sesshoumaru had been thinking upon this crack-headed religion while they sat there, and when he finally resurfaced from his dive deep into his mind, he found Keiko had fallen asleep leaning on him, and was now snoring. He barely took any notice of this, apparently she slept a lot. Then it dawned on him, they'd been there SO long that the sun was setting, and he wanted to take her to see this skit type thing in a make shift theatre in the main square, which was usually hilarious. "Keiko," he said softly. For all he knew, she knew fire magic, and could blast him with a thought. She was still asleep. "KEIKO!" She jumped about a foot, but she hadn't blasted him. "Come on, We're running late for the show."

They arrived at the make shift theatre on time, and it was right when the narrator was saying something. "You, in the back, with the silver hair, and the girl who, I might add, strangely resembles our missing princess!" He called. Sesshoumaru stiffened. "You've been chosen to be in tonight's show!" Sesshoumaru relaxed.

A few minutes later, Sesshoumaru was back stage, waiting to be shoved on the stage. "Long, long ago, in a far away land, there lived a fair princess, Princess Kiara. But there was also a terrible dragon, who for reasons know only to himself, was called Grog. Once day Grog kidnapped the beautiful princess. And it was up to the legendary hero, Krad, to rescue her," Sesshoumaru was shoved onstage. A knight followed him.

"Sir Krad, how will you rescue the princess?" The knight asked.

"That's easy, I have the missing sock to every pain of the dragons socks, I shall hold the hostage," Sesshoumaru said. He had decided to mess with these guys. "And, in exchange for the princess, I shall give them back."

A king entered the stage. "Please, save my daughter, she's been kidnapped by Grog."

"I knew that already, And I shall save her."

"The dragon entered carrying a struggling Keiko. "hey you! Let go of me right this second!" Keiko shouted.

"King, I have your daughter, I want my socks back!" The dragon, who was apparently Grog said. "Sir Krad, who exactly is your enemy?"

"That's easy, it's that knight right behind me," Sesshoumaru answered, right as Keiko succeeded in kicking the dragon where the sun don't shine, inevitably rescuing herself. She went up to the king and slapped him. "You're not my father." She went over to the knight. "You're a poor excuse for a knight, you didn't even try to rescue me!" he received a black eye. She went over to the remaining un-injured man. First she kissed him, it was rather passionate. "Krad, I'm grateful that you tried to rescue me by stealing his matching socks, It was heroic of you."

"Well, what an ... unusually strong princess. And our legendary sock bandit hero, and our new hero, Princess Kiara, lived happily in each other company forever more. The end!" In flurry of movement, the curtains closed, and they were rushed off stage.

It didn't usually happen, but they were paid for their performance. Not one had the princess ever knocked out almost everyone on stage. After that, the only thing left to do that would be fun for the two, wouldn't be appropriate for our audiences, and they weren't into each other that way anyway.

Their day having been spent, they returned to the hideout, they were met by Jason at the door. "Since you two were just on a date, I expect your probably going to do what I think you're going to do," he said, to him, this was logical.

"And what would that be?" Keiko asked suspiciously.

"Canoodle."

"What do you take me for?" Keiko cried indignantly, though the thought of seducing Sesshoumaru had occurred to her.

"A woman?" That earned him two black eyes, and a bloody nose. Jason, was being a pervert, as always.

"I don't feel like staying here, I'm going to go to a pub or something, Sesshoumaru, do you care to come with me?"

"I feel it's my duty to make sure you don't get yourself into trouble, besides, I can keep those drunk bastards off you," He said protectively.

By the end of the night, they were both drunk. But it wasn't because Keiko had challenged Sesshoumaru to a drinking contest, which he had turned down, saying he was sensitive to alcohol. It was because Keiko had challenged and defeated some other poor guy who had entered the pub sober. Sesshoumaru on the other hand, was drunk off the fumes alone.

They stumbled back to the hideout, and the rest of it is best kept blurry. Let's just say, that 'tis not appropriate for these events to be narrated. If you can't guess on your own, I'd like to keep your mind innocent.

Ok then...What strangeness. Neji's Koibito would freak out over this for sure.

Squeaker


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hello everyone, I know it's been what, 3 months since I last updated? But I'm updating this story now. (I may or may not update my other stories.)

Disclaimer: I _**DON'T**_ own Sesshoumaru, or any other characters that could ever show up in this story that aren't mine.

Keiko woke up the next morning with a bad hangover. The light filtering though the curtains was like a wall of pain. Her head was pounding, and beside her a distinctly male voice groaned in pain. Needless to say, her head felt like it was going to explode, or implode, which ever happened first. "What the hell happened last night?" She asked, her voice low.

"You got into a drinking contest," he answered. "I really don't know how I got drunk though."

"Sesshoumaru, why exactly are you here anyway?" She asked. The inability to remember the previous night's activities was not a happy experience.

Before he could answer, there was a knock at the door. Now, we all know that drunk people have a hard enough time remembering to close the door, how can we expect them to have remembered to **lock** the door. Due to this fact, Setsura had no problem entering the room uninvited. Jason followed him in. "See? I told you they slept together," Jason said in an "I told you so" tone. Keiko decided that burying herself further into the bed would be a good idea, did just that. She made sure she could still see them.

Setsura looked somewhat disappointed, and jealous at the same moment. "I never said they didn't," He replied. "After all, I could hear them." His voice had turned icy, and Jason shrank under his gaze. "Well, Ladies, time to get up," Setsura said, throwing open the curtains. Keiko had thought the light **filtering** through the curtains had been painful, but this was agony, almost.

"Setsura, you know as well as I do that I'm not a woman," Sesshoumaru growled. Setsura merely shrugged.

"Listen you two, we're going to be very busy all day, since we're leaving tomorrow, and I need you two to get up so that we're ready on time."

"Already? He certainly was quick about this," Sesshoumaru said, surprised.

"Yes, now get up."

Grumbling about how it was too early to get up, Sesshoumaru forced himself to get up and get dressed. He showed a complete disregard for decency while doing this.

He still had his shirt off when she noticed that he had scratches all down his back (which had nearly healed during the night), and bite marks on his neck and shoulders (also nearly healed). The night before had no doubt been a rough one. She felt her own neck and shoulders, and was relieved to find that any bites she had sustained were fully healed. It was a relief to know she wasn't still wounded from the night before, if she'd ever been wounded, but she felt bad about hurting him badly enough for his injuries to only now be healing fully.

"Umm, if you don't mind, I'd like some privacy," She told the others. Setsura and Jason Left immediately. Sesshoumaru followed after a few seconds, but Keiko stopped him at the door. "Sesshoumaru, I'm sorry about hurting you," she apologized.

"It's fine," he answered, before leaving. Keiko was still worried, so she hurried to get dressed. She could hear Setsura and Sesshoumaru arguing outside, and she knew it was about her. When she emerged into the hallway, the others fell silent. Deciding that getting into this would only be more trouble than it was worth, she continued down the hallway. In the main room of the guild home, Sakura was busy cleaning all of the weapons and putting them in boxes. She looked to be in a much better mood than usual, and Keiko decided that she would be a good person to ask about their destination. "Sakura, good morning!" she called across the room, still try to figure out how to get over there without making the human jealous.

"Hello, Keiko," Sakura answered, polishing a heavy-looking broadsword. Keiko finally got to Sakura's side of the room (over all the boxes and clutter) by the time Sakura had finished with this sword, and moved on to and axe.

"Hey, do you know where were going?" Keiko asked.

"Verindall," Sakura replied. "I can't wait to get there, I've heard that it's always snowing there. The children make men out of the snow, and throw the snow at each other," She paused. "But it'll take us a couple months to get there."

"Oh, wow, I've never been there. My father got formally banned from that country for trying to seduce their princess, but that was before he married my mother," Keiko said.

"Hello Keiko," Keiko had been so busy conversing with Sakura that she hadn't realized the Sasuki had come up behind her. Her hugged her from behind, and Keiko felt very uncomfortable.

"Umm, hello Sasuki," She said. "Could you please not hug me?"

"Why not?"

"We barely know each other," she replied.

"Fine," he said, letting go of her. "Listen, I've got some things that I want you to get from town," he said, handing her a list.

"A kitten?" Keiko asked, after looking over the list.

"...yes, a kitten," he replied.

"Okay, I'll go take care of this now," Keiko said.

The market was full of stalls, and packed with people. Looking around, Keiko spotted a man giving away kittens. He had a small boy standing next to him. This boy had black hair and green eyes. He had cute little dog ears. Walking over to the man, she picked out a kitten. It was a pure black one, kind of scrawny, but its purple eyes shone with spirit. Curious, she inquired about the boy, seeing as he didn't look like he belonged there. The boy was, maybe, five or six, as far as Keiko could tell, and he looked a little bit scared.

"The Boy's mother recently passed away, and his father is nowhere to be found," The man replied. "He likes the kittens, I keep trying to get him to go away, but he keeps coming back."

"Oh, that's sad, you should be nicer to this boy," She said. Kneeling down in front of the boy, she looked into his green eyes. "Hi, I'm Keiko, what's your name?"

"My mommy told me not to talk to strangers," the little boy replied.

"That was smart of her," She said.

"Do you know where my mommy is?" The boy looked hopeful. "I can't find her anywhere."

"I'm sorry, but you're mommy isn't alive anymore," Keiko said sadly.

"but, mommy promised- She said she'd always be there for me," the boy sobbed.

"I know it's hard to believe, but you're an orphan now," Keiko said. Suddenly her eyes lit up with an idea. "Tell you what, You can come with me and my friends to Verindall."

"Verindall?" The boy had stopped crying, since he was distracted.

"Yeah, they have snow there, it's supposed to be lots of fun, you can make snow people out of it, and throw it at other people, and it doesn't hurt," She was smiling childishly.

"Okay!" The boy exclaimed, jumping up.

"Do you think you can keep a hold on the kitten until I get done shopping for my friend? It'll only take a few minutes," She asked.

"Yeah!" The boy said. He'd totally forgotten his mother in the excitement; Keiko was glad that he wasn't crying anymore. She handed him the kitten, and noticed that the kitten seemed to like him a lot.

About twenty minutes later, she had finished the shopping, the merchants having been more than happy to deliver everything for her. After purchasing the last thing on the list and telling the man where to have it taken for delivery, she bought the boy an apple turnover. Keiko held the cat while they walked so that the boy could eat.

She got back just as the last merchant was leaving, and Sasuki was still outside. Noticing the boy, Sasuki came over to them. "When I wrote for you to get something for yourself, I didn't mean an orphan," He said, smiling.

"I know, but-" She started.

"It's okay," he said, interrupting her. "He looks like a strong little guy." Sasuki turned to the boy. "What's your name?"

The boy was hiding behind Keiko, apparently shy since he had a protector. Keiko nudged him in front of her. "It's okay, he's one of my friends."

"Okay," he said meekly.

"Well?" Sasuki said impatiently.

"My name's Rengai," he said.

"I'm Sasuki," Sasuki said. Turning back to Keiko, he nodded before going inside.

Inside, things were moving quickly; Sesshoumaru, Setsura, and Jason were all busy moving heavy boxes out to a wagon. Sakura was packing things into boxes carefully, and Sasuki was out over looking everything. Keiko took Rengai to her room. He was really tired, so he took a nap, and Keiko went out to help with everything. The kitten stayed with Rengai.

Hours later, they had finished. Sasuki had taken leave of being overseer an hour before hand, so that he could cook the evening's meal. Rengai was still asleep when Keiko went to tell him that dinner was ready, and she woke him up when she entered the room. "Come on Rengai, it's time for dinner," she said, smiling.

"Okay, mama," Rengai said. In his half-asleep state, he'd seen his mother, not Keiko. It was an easy mistake for the boy to make, his mother having looked considerably similar to his new guardian.

He and Keiko entered the room together, meeting the stares of Sesshoumaru, Jason, and Sakura with silence. They sat down near Setsura, and began eating. Incidentally, Sasuki had placed himself right next to Keiko. Ever the gentleman, he poured Keiko a drink, and handed it to her.

"Keiko, I didn't know you had a kid," Jason said.

"He's not mine," she answered, half tempted to throw her drink at him.

"She brought home an orphan Jason," Sasuki said.

"Oh," Jason said.

They ate in silence for a while, but Keiko soon started up the conversation again.

All too soon, dinner was over and Keiko made arrangements for Rengai to stay in Sesshoumaru's room for the night. Feeling tired, Keiko went to bed as soon as she entered her room. Her dreams were restless though, and in the middle of the night, a tall figure stepped into her room...

_She was running from him again. She knew that if he caught her, he would do terrible things. She kept running, not daring to even look back. Ahead of her was a dead end. She could feel him catching up to her. _

_Suddenly she tripped, landing hard. In a matter of seconds, he had turned her onto her back. He was on top of her now, doing terrible things. His face escaped her, but she could feel his hands on her body. She could feel him biting her neck. Some how, in this twisted vision, her clothes had merely dissolved into thin air. She couldn't even move on her own now. _

_The pain. The pain. It was all she could think of. It was unbearable, she cried out. _

When she cried out, Sasuki had been startled. He knew she wouldn't be able to wake for another 5 hours. The drug he'd slipped her at dinner had been quite potent, but she wasn't supposed to cry out either. Deciding he'd done enough to her, he pulled his clothes on and left.

Setsura, having been startled awake by Keiko's cry, was out in the hall when he emerged. Sasuki only gave him a look. Setsura said nothing, knowing that if he said anything, he would soon find himself dead.

_Suddenly, he was gone. His menacing presence no longer invaded her every thought. Everything was lighter suddenly, and she was filled with a warmth that could only be described as pure love. The world of her mind became a pale place of love. She could feel herself being healed by this light. It was helping her to survive. _

_Soon enough, a red protective creature joined this pale white being. She could feel the need to protect her radiating from it. She knew nothing else would happen to her if this creature could help it. _

_With the red one came a yellow being. It was confused, but helpful. The yellow one only wanted to help, but it didn't know how. It could only show sadness. _

_She knew these beings were trying to help her; she only had to help them help her. She took a few deep breaths, and thought it over. It dawned on her, if sleeping was what got her here, she would have to sleep in order to get out. Laying down on the ground, she closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep..._

A/N: Ok, so seriously, when I first wrote this out, I had never planned on the little kid being part of the story, in fact, Rengai didn't even come into existence until after I'd watched bleach on Saturday, and decided I wanted to name a character something close to the name of the guy who's name closely resembles Rengai... XD ... so please, pronounce "Rengai" as "renji"...k? Review please!

Squeaker1


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